Transmissive displays are displays that generally include a backlight. In transmissive displays, light is emitted from the backlight and transmitted through various layers or films, which manipulate the light in order to generate the desired rendition on the transmissive display. Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are common examples of transmissive displays used in a wide range of display technologies. In particular, LCDs are very common in handheld devices, such as calculators, handheld computers, cellular telephones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, hand-held gaming devices, laptop computers, and other devices. LCDs are also used in larger display systems, such as televisions and large computer displays. In devices that include transmissive displays, such as LCDs, the backlight can be dimmed or turned off in order to save power in the device.
Emissive displays, such as plasma displays and organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, are emerging as viable alternatives to transmissive displays. Emissive displays do not generally include a backlight. Instead, emissive displays include an array of emissive elements that are individually controlled to generate the desired rendition on the display. The emissive elements of emissive displays are generally analogous to individual light sources. Each pixel of an emissive display may be generated by controlling the output of one or more emissive elements of the emissive display.